Fake ballot papers causing disharmony

ISSUE OF fake ballot papers is causing worry to mayoral candidates. Congress candidate Manzoor Ahmed has expressed concern and sought a high-level probe before the polls on October 31.

Calling it a serious lapse on part of the district administration, he said that such incidents cause a lot of disharmony among contestants. Ahmed said his volunteers were being threatened and some anti-social elements were even hurling bricks at them. But he said the Congressmen had been asked to keep mum and not to react to such violent incidents.

The Congress mayoral candidate further alleged that the Congress workers were bring provoked by other party members. Ahmed said a brick was hurled at a car carrying women party workers.

The BJP had leveled an allegation against Manzoor that he had accepted bribe for posts while serving as Additional DGP in Lucknow and vice chancellor. The Congress candidate, however, denied it and said there was confusion on part of the then government after he refused to be relieved of his duty. Manzoor has also been alleged of having links with the SIMI and ISI. “How could that be possible? I had served as one of the top IB officers,” he claimed and added that had there been any sort of doubt the government would not have given be such a sensitive assignment. “It is just a move to malign my image,” he stated.

SP Mayoral candidate Madhu Gupta, addressing the media, said she was confident of winning the elections. As for no heavyweights campaigning
for her, she said party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was in touch with the people of the city. On complaint against the SP workers, she said these were false complaints. She said, on the contrary, SP was a victim of violence in Aliganj. “But we have told our workers not to react,” she claimed.

About Arun Kumar Shukla ‘Anna’ beating up traders in Daliganj, she said the CM would take appropriate steps in accordance with the law.